What are you going to do about that unwanted behavior – the particular vice or problem you are trying to overcome? Is it excessive weight, overspending, smoking, excessive and uncontrolled drinking, or an issue with anger management?

Dear Jim: Our refrigerator is pretty old, and I would like to get a new, more efficient one. We are empty-nesters now, so I am wondering if it makes sense to get a smaller one, but perhaps one with more features?

Fargo - Mary Bjerke enjoys eating sunflower seeds while on the road, but she got tired of the mess.
Either the bag would spill over or Bjerke would need to stop at a gas station to get a cup to spit out the shells.

Q: I had a question concerning the growth of red maples. How can I tell if the tree is in shock or is stunted? About six years ago, I planted two red maples in the front yard. One tree is almost five times the size of the other. I am wondering what could be wrong. Both get adequate water, and we have not experienced a drought. I’m wondering if I didn’t remove enough of the root sack or if it is bad soil.

Dear Dr. Fox: I know your intentions are good. But do you know the details about the horrific animal agriculture industry that produces cat food? For you to say that it is “unethical” to raise a vegan cat does not seem to make much sense, given that the alternative is far worse for so many more animals.

According to the new Pew Research analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, the rates of unmarried cohabitation – the status of couples who are sexual partners, not married to each other, and sharing a household – have doubled over the past 15 years. Between 1960 and 2005, cohabitation has increased by 1,200 percent or more than tenfold.

As I walked through our kitchen, I noticed my husband cutting tiny cubes of cheese on a cutting board. I figured he was making training rewards for my daughter to use with her pet dachshund. Our daughter and her dog are members of a dog-training class.

Thanksgiving dinner in America during the 18th and early 19th centuries was very different than it is today. The traditional menu today includes turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, corn, fruit and pumpkin pie. But at the first Thanksgiving, potatoes were unavailable. Cranberries were nearby but there was no sugar, so the berries probably were not eaten.

Q: I am trying to gather some information on planting a plum tree. This past summer, I took two healthy plum shoots from an heirloom plum tree on my uncle’s farm in West Virginia. I took them home with me to Tennessee and planted them in pots using a mixture of Miracle-Gro, manure and compost. What is the proper way to plant them outside?

Dear Dr. Fox: Tell the woman who wrote about her cat throwing up that my 10-year-old Siamese used to throw up daily but now has stopped.
My cat didn’t chew his food thoroughly, and he ate too fast. I now add ½ cup of water and cover his food so he can’t eat it for 20 minutes. It changes the dry food to wet mush; problem solved.

Ants have been sneaking inside warm houses for centuries. Our ancestors did not use poison, but they had a way to keep the ants away from their food.
They made ant traps of pottery or glass designed to keep ants from climbing up the legs of a kitchen or dining room table.